When my wife and I moved out of our rental years ago after buying our new house, she was thrilled about all of the new closet space she would be getting. Finally, she exhaled, a walk-in closet!
Not only did she get the walk-in closet, but she also took the closet in the guest room as well as the offices.
It's no mystery, most women need a lot of space for their massive arsenal of apparel. Us men, we're lucky if we even get a shelf to ourselves.
I was happy to oblige because I got the basement to turn into my own man cave. I was young at the time, so I didn't really think about how many shirts I should have at my disposal.
One day we were getting ready for an important family event, and I realized that I didn't have any good button-down shirts to wear. Well, not really much to choose from. Certainly not a huge compendium of different colors and fabrics like she had.
It got me thinking, maybe its time to increase my wardrobe.
When I got back from the outlets with all of my new fancy grown-up clothes, I realized I didn't have much space to put them. Not only did my wife lay claim to most of the closet space, it dawned on me that much of my clothing was t-shirts.
At a conservative estimate, I'd say at the time I had about 35 t-shirts.
Now as a screen printer and an apparel salesman, I will never tell somebody that they can have too many t-shirts. However, there is a balance between practicality and preference that dictates the need to unfold a real number to the question how many shirts is too many?
How Many T-Shirts Should I Own?
Now we're not talking about suits and ties, button down shirts, or even polo shirts. We're strictly talking about t-shirts.
Every man has at least one T shirt that he loves to wear. Maybe he has a rotation of a few. Over time if they're not washed and dried properly, they may end up in the garage as a rag just because we couldn't bring ourselves to throw it away.
We love t-shirts and there's a plethora of designs out there that would look great on us. However, space is limited, so how do we decide?
1. Make sure you get the right fabric.
If you like heavy cotton shirts, that's fine, but there's something great about having soft, premium ring spun cotton shirts. They can be worn to the gym, to parties, to renaissance festivals, and perhaps even weddings.
They fold up nicely on a shelf, but we always recommend hanging them in the closet to keep them nice longer.
While I personally prefer creamy, buttery soft shirts, that doesn't have to be your gig. You can wear whatever type of shirts you wish, just remember where you're wearing them to.
If you're going to be out on an icy cold hunting trip, a heavier cotton shirt might do you well.
If you're going to be on the beach all day, you might want to give those soft shirts a try!
2. Get a variety of colors.
While the most popular color t-shirt of all time is black, sometimes you need a lighter shirt. Sometimes you want a nice cool color shirt for the beach.
Whatever the event may be, you want to look nice and also kind of match the person you're with (if you're with someone).
If my wife is wearing jeans and a black t-shirt to the pub, I don't want to wear some outlandish, flamboyant color that makes me stand out too much. I like to blend in.
If you want to contrast or go wild, that's awesome too. With enough color options, you get to choose which version of yourself you want to be that night!
3. Have a variety of designs
Now that you have your fabric and colors picked out, don't forget about the design itself.
When selecting which shirt to wear, always consider where you're going and who will be there.
You may not want to wear the most offensive shirts you can find when you're going to a nice trip to the mall with your new girlfriend's family.
Know where your designs will be appreciated.
You'll need some shirts for a few different occasions so be mindful of that. Some designs may not be appropriate in all cases. Some designs will just fit perfectly with the crowd.
In Conclusion
Considering the fabric, colors, and designs that build up a solid arsenal of t-shirts, what is the magic number?
Since a lot of designs are flexible and can be worn in many different scenarios you don't need too many. Also consider that some shirts may be in the wash or still drying when you need it most, so it's good to have a some backups.
So *drumroll* the number of T Shirts a man should have is between 12 - 15!
The most important thing is to make sure you like all of your shirts. Don't be stuck with only 1 or 2 favorites on top of a stack of lame shirts you never wear.
If you need new shirts, you've come to the right place!
